The 1987 baseball season was an exciting one for fans as star players like Andre Dawson, Mark McGwire, and Ozzie Smith had amazing seasons. This excitement carried over to the collectible baseball card hobby as the Sportscard Pro set from Sportscard Inc. was released featuring photography and designs that captured the essence of the year in baseball.
Sportscard Inc. was a smaller trading card company that emerged in the mid-1980s alongside the larger players in the industry like Topps and Donruss. They aimed to provide an affordable baseball card option for collectors while still maintaining quality photography and card stock. Their 1987 Sportscard Pro set became one of their most popular releases of the decade.
The 1987 Sportscard Pro set contains 330 total cards and was sold in wax packs of 8 cards each. Some notable subset included were Traded players, Managers, Rookies, and All-Stars. The base cards featured vibrant solid color borders and individual posed photography of each player on a white background. Sportscard Inc. was able to obtain rights to use team logos, making their designs feel more authentic compared to some other smaller brands at the time.
Card quality was above average for Sportscard Inc. with thick, glossy stock that showed off the colorful photography nicely. Centering tended to vary but were certainly on par with other 1987 releases. The photos themselves captured each players’ signature stance and the brightening favored bringing out facial features. Andre Dawson’s intense gaze as he swings is particularly striking on his base card.
Rookies included in the 1987 Sportscard Pro set that would go on to have Hall of Fame careers were Gregg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz from the Atlanta Braves as well future 300 game winner Curt Schilling from the Baltimore Orioles. Mark McGwire’s rookie card showcases his sheer size and power as a rising star for the Oakland A’s. Star rookie cards like these would increase dramatically in value in later years.
Other notable rookie cards included Allan Trammell, Frank Thomas, and Tony Fernandez. The manager cards paid tribute to legends like Dick Williams, Whitey Herzog, and Tommy Lasorda. Traded cards highlighted deals before and during the 1987 season like Gary Gaetti going from Minnesota to California. All-Star cards recognized the best performances of the year prior.
One of the special aspects of Sportscard Pro was licensed player signature cards. Signatures were obtained on simple white stock meant to be trimmed out and affixed to the corresponding base card. True 1/1 autographs of Hall of Famers like Mike Schmidt, Eddie Murray, and Ozzie Smith added immense value and desirability to a hobbyist’s collection from this set.
When first released in 1987, a wax pack of Sportscard Pro could be found for around $1 at most hobby shops and convenience stores. As the decades passed, the rise in popularity of the players featured, particularly the rookie cards, caused values to escalate steadily. In near mint condition, a full set today might fetch $300-500 while a single star rookie like McGwire could be worth over $100 by itself. Signed cards of elite players command prices in the thousands.
While Sportscard Inc. no longer produces sets today, its 1987 Sportscard Pro release remains a frequently discussed vintage issue. Its affordable price point allowed many children first experiencing the baseball card hobby to build a collection featuring future Hall of Famers. Over time, those childhood memories coupled with the increase in demand for vintage cardboard cemented its popularity among enthusiasts and investors alike. For capturing a snapshot of the 1987 season that still excites collectors over 30 years later, Sportscard Pro endures as one of the premier baseball card sets of the decade.
